[Chapter 10 Comment]
[Twin_dragon13773: I hope the students will be okay, and I can't wait to see how powerful they become in the future. (I swear this is an ongoing issue, it's why it's such a pain to write stories myself, I keep thinking of what is going to happen rather than what's happening :( )]
[Midday_Eclipse: I'll just cheer you on as I think that some of my questions are best saved for later when you have some free time. You can do it Sir Theodore.]
"Not good!" Lancelot's voice rang out in alarm as he frantically surveyed the area. Smoke billowed from the hole in the spider's eggs, symbolizing the imminent birth of countless spiderlings. "Aurora, Serena, be—" Before Lancelot could finish his sentence, the spider seized the opportunity and struck him.
"Kh!" Lancelot attempted to block the attack, but his stance was off, causing him to be thrown into the air.
"Lancelot!" Aurora called out in concern. However, amidst the chaos, she noticed the change in the eggs. She knew that the newborn spiders would soon emerge, posing a deadly threat. While they could handle a few, the absence of a vanguard made the task significantly more challenging. Aurora glanced at Mia, who was occupied with other spiders, realizing that she and Serena would have to face the baby spiders alone.
"Serena!" Aurora aimed her bow at one of the eggs, infusing her arrow with essence.
Meanwhile, Serena tossed several vials into the air. "I'm going to show you why I'm the top student in this class!"
Serena acted swiftly. The vials shattered mid-air, with some bursting into flames upon contact with oxygen, while others turned into icy mist, crystallizing upon hitting their targets. Her plan was to eliminate the spiderlings before they even had a chance to hatch.
Scree!
The large spider let out a piercing shriek, as if warning its offspring. Unfortunately for the monster, it was too late. The flames and ice rained down upon the spider eggs, incinerating some and encasing others in a thick layer of ice. However, Serena had only managed to deal with half of them, having exhausted most of her vials while dealing with the smaller spiders earlier.
"I'll take care of the rest," Aurora declared, releasing her arrow to eliminate the remaining spiders one by one.
Scree!
Enraged, the large spider charged toward them.
"I'm still here!" Lancelot swiftly regained his footing and intercepted the spider, but the creature was livid after witnessing the ruthless destruction of its young. With a powerful strike, Lancelot nearly lost his grip on his sword and was thrown to the ground.
"Hmm?" Lancelot's eyes widened in surprise. "What is this? The spider's strength is increasing?"
Lancelot wanted to retaliate, but another leg struck him, sending him rolling on the ground. Meanwhile, the large spider advanced menacingly toward Aurora and Serena.
"Tsk." Serena clicked her tongue, realizing she had exhausted her supply of offensive vials. She now only had three types remaining: healing, boosting, and blinding potions.
"Well, this will have to do." Serena hurled the blinding potion into the air, creating a blinding flash that momentarily halted the spider's advance, forcing Aurora and Lancelot to shield their eyes.
However, amidst the chaos, Serena failed to notice that her actions had unintentionally bought time for the remaining baby spiders to emerge from their eggs.
"No!" Serena shouted, warning her companions of her mistake. Five spiders emerged, moving swiftly and purposefully toward them, as if following a preprogrammed directive.
Aurora attempted to shoot them down, but the lingering effects of the blinding light hindered her focus. Lancelot, while still standing, was in no position to keep up with the large spider, let alone contend with the smaller ones.
Meanwhile, Theo remained leaning against the wall, seemingly disinterested in intervening. In truth, he was engrossed in reading the system panel and responding to the comments left by readers.
"Thank you, Midday Eclipse. Don't worry, I'll do my best to answer your questions when I have the opportunity, as long as it doesn't disrupt the flow of the story. I want to see it continue as well. And Twin_dragon13773, rest assured, the students will be fine," Theo muttered as he assured the concerned readers.
While Theo interacted with his audience, Mia suddenly appeared before the large spider.
"All of you should be performing better than this. Lack of experience seems to have rendered you unprepared for these unexpected circumstances," Mia sighed, conjuring a balloon in front of her. "Happy Balloon!"
The balloon, adorned with a smirking face and X-shaped and O-shaped eyes, expanded until it surpassed the spider in size.
"!!!" The large spider was initially taken aback but quickly regained its composure, unafraid of this peculiar ability. It lunged at the balloon, intending to strike it with its sharp legs.
Boink!
To everyone's surprise, the balloon wobbled inward but promptly returned to its original form, propelling the giant spider backward.
The elasticity and force of the balloon were remarkable, launching a creature of such size several meters away. However, the spider refused to be deterred.
With its attention focused on the balloon, the spider's sharp legs punctured the surface, causing it to burst with a loud pop.
Bam!
Much to everyone's expectation, the balloon served as a distraction, concealing a giant teddy bear within. It was the teddy bear, not the balloon's elasticity, that sent the giant spider flying backward.
The bear stepped forward like a boxer and sent forth a punch.
Seizing the opportunity, Mia swiftly moved to the side, delivering a powerful kick to one of the baby spiders before swiftly dispatching another.
"You both should learn some Martial Arts. It may seem unnecessary since you prefer ranged combat, but it's crucial for self-defense in situations like these. Serena, with the strengthening potion, you could excel even further. Aurora, you could create safe zones with your Martial Arts, enabling you to snipe with precision," Mia lectured, leaving Aurora and Serena speechless. They never expected to be schooled by a seven-year-old girl, but they couldn't refute her words. If they expanded their skill set, they could easily overcome such challenges.
Meanwhile, Lancelot had dealt with the remaining smaller spiders from a different direction. With their combined efforts, they managed to halt the spider ambush... or so they thought.
Theo finally stepped away from the wall, remarking inwardly, "Ah, yes. I knew this would happen. The author wants to create a problem to add tension to the story. However, I chose this precise moment to prevent a problem from the tide. Even the positioning of the soldiers was strategically arranged to minimize external disruptions."
"I am aware that these spider eggs would cause trouble, but the true threat remains the same—the large spider. Increasing the spider's berserk state will surely heighten the tension, but that will only happen when these students venture alone. That's precisely why I am accompanying them."
Indeed, Theo's decision to join the group was not merely his duty as a teacher but a calculated move based on his understanding of web novel conventions and his ability to predict future events.
Theo summoned his essence and concentrated it in one area, forming it into a sword. This caught Serena and Aurora off guard.
"Huh? Is that an illusion?" Serena gasped.
"No, that is pure essence. He is shaping the essence to create a sword... How is he capable of such precise essence control?" Aurora marveled, aided by her spiritual sight.
The large spider approached Theo, attempting to strike him down.
"Aurora, Serena, you need not master Martial Arts. As long as you can attain this level..." Theo took a small step to the right, evading the spider's legs with a graceful spin. He then struck at the spider's legs from behind, severing them. "This is sufficient. With this level of skill, you can easily dispatch the spider by exploiting its defenses."
Aurora and Serena were speechless, silently acknowledging the truth of his words.
"As for you, Lancelot, there is another alternative if you wish to use 'magic' without actually casting spells. Mastery over essence control is the key." Theo waved his blade to the side.
The sword, once formed from essence, elongated and transformed into a whip-like shape, maintaining its sharpness. It effortlessly cleaved through one of the baby spiders, cutting it in half. Theo then twirled the whip-like sword, obliterating the remaining spiders in an instant. As he had suggested, as long as Lancelot could skillfully control his essence, there was no need to imbue it with his elemental magic. Fire would no longer pose a threat.
"And Mia, if you enjoy pranks, demonstrate your prowess by defeating this spider!" Theo exclaimed, deftly avoiding the spider's jaws.
He attempted to strike the spider with his sword, but it quickly positioned its legs to block the attack. Unbeknownst to the spider, Theo's true weapon lay beneath the ground.
Utilizing his essence, Theo shaped a sword underneath his feet, extending and expanding it into a massive blade. As the spider was distracted by the smaller sword, the colossal blade erupted from the earth, impaling the spider's body.
"And that concludes today's lesson," Theo said, sporting a nonchalant smile despite obliterating all the spiders in an instant. "Considering your subpar performance during this mission, I must deduct one point from each of you."
The others stood speechless, unable to dispute his judgment.